Ch.194IF Side Story – And the Two Lived Happily (48)

From above, the chandelier’s characteristic dimly flickering light shines; from below, the gleam of the smooth white floor reflects that light; and from the sides, the brilliance of jewels encased in glass sparkles.

A luxurious space glittering from all directions.

This is a shop I found after scouring the internet and gathering information from people I know.

They deal in artifacts.

What’s unique is that they not only buy and sell, but occasionally manufacture artifacts according to materials and requirements.

The prices are high, burdensome even… but I don’t particularly mind.

It’s an enormous expense, but when I think of it as a gift for Aila, it’s not too much to spend.

As I entered the shop, a clerk approached me.

“How may I help you today?”

“I received a call that the item I ordered previously is ready.”

“Could you please provide your name and the phone number you used when making the reservation?”

“My name is Kim Ji-woo, and my phone number is—“

After hearing my response, the clerk searched for something on their tablet, then asked me to sit and wait for a moment.

“Oh.”

It’s quite an expensive-looking sofa.

The sofa at home certainly isn’t bad, but compared to this one, it feels rigid. This sofa is so plush and comfortable.

I sat quietly, passing the time.

I wonder what Aila is doing right now.

At this hour, is she having dinner?

“Kim Ji-woo?”

“…Ah, yes.”

My reaction was slightly delayed.

Since I’m rarely called by name directly, I sometimes buffer when I hear it.

As I turned my head, I saw a necklace placed on a flat surface.

That must be it…

“Here’s the item you ordered.”

A gently shimmering chain with alternating gold and silver.

And at the end, a flower-shaped ornament with five petals.

Each petal has a different color, which could have looked childish if done poorly… but true to the reputation of this expensive shop, it looks quite appealing.

I picked up the necklace and examined it from various angles.

I can feel the magic flowing through it, so it seems they’ve incorporated all the functions I wanted.

Now for the packaging–

“Also, the owner… asked if you might be willing to meet with them, if possible… Would you be interested?”

“Pardon?”

The owner?

The proprietor of this shop?

Why suddenly?

“They said it’s been a long time since they encountered materials that ignited their craftsman’s spirit. What would you like to do? It was just a suggestion, so there’s no obligation to meet.”

I quickly checked the time.

I’ve almost finished everything for tomorrow’s event, and now I just need to receive this necklace.

If the conversation ends before Aila finishes her meal and returns home, there shouldn’t be a problem–

Buzz–

“Huh?”

My phone vibrates.

A call.

The caller is… my younger sister.

Suddenly, at this hour?

I thought about declining, but thinking it might be something important, I answered.

“Hello?”

[Hello? Oppa?]

It sounded chaotic.

Different from the typical laughter and chatter of a restaurant.

[Where are you right now? Are you very busy?]

“No, I’m not busy. Why?”

[I’m at the hospital. I’ll send you the address, so come quickly.]

…What?

Hospital?

My phone vibrated again.

Looking at the screen, there was a message notification.

This address… a university hospital nearby.

“…What happened?”

My voice trembled.

I tried to maintain composure, but it was impossible to contain.

[Right now, Aila is–]

Click, the voice cut off.

When I came to my senses, I was already running through the streets.

Aila?

Hospital?

What could have happened?

Everything was fine just this morning.

An accident?

…But what kind of accident could hurt Aila?

A traffic accident?

No, Aila is sturdier than most trucks.

…That’s not what’s important right now.

What matters is that Aila is…

“Damn it…!”

I ran and ran.

I remember the address I glimpsed earlier.

It’s a hospital not far from where she was having dinner.

Does that mean something happened while she was eating?

My heart is racing madly.

I’m out of breath.

After running desperately, I arrived at the hospital.

I scanned the surroundings.

A woman with long straight hair leaning against the wall, looking at her phone screen.

It’s Ji-min.

Though she was quite far away, my heightened senses made her easy to spot.

I moved my feet.

“What happened?!”

“Oppa?”

“What happened to Aila?! Why did–“

“Wait, calm down!!”

There was a sharp sound of something being struck.

Following that, a stinging sensation spread from my wrist.

“She’s being examined right now. It’s not certain yet, but in my opinion, it’s 100%.”

“Examination? Probability? What are you talking about? What happened?”

“…Didn’t you listen to the end of my call?”

“Stop beating around the bush and tell me. I feel like I’m going crazy…!”

My voice grew louder.

I could feel other people’s gazes gathering.

But compared to Aila, other people’s stares held no value whatsoever.

“Answer me–!!”

“Ah, stop! Let go!!”

Another sharp sound of something being struck.

Following that, a stinging pain in my wrist.

As I looked at my trembling arm and Ji-min’s grimacing face as she held my shoulders, my heated mind seemed to cool down a bit.

My chest was still burning… but I seemed to have regained enough sanity to have a conversation.

“…Calm down.”

“…Sorry.”

“Your phone?”

I couldn’t remember.

My last memory was answering the phone at the shop and rushing out… it should be in my right hand.

“I don’t know.”

“Sigh.”

Ji-min exhaled deeply.

“No, I should have explained properly too. Well, in a way, it’s fortunate.”

“So, what happened?”

“…I can’t tell you that either.”

“Hey.”

What is she trying to do?

“No, wait, listen to me.”

Ji-min began speaking desperately after seeing my expression.

“It’s something I’d rather not say myself. You’ll think the same when you understand the situation, right?”

Where did this conversation go wrong?

When dialogue becomes this misaligned, the desire to communicate at all disappears.

That’s what I thought.

I sighed.

“So there’s nothing wrong with Aila’s body, right?”

“Well…”

The answer didn’t come immediately.

As I stared at her, I heard uncertain mutterings like, “Is it a problem…? Well, it’s not nothing…”

“Hey.”

“It’s not bad news. That’s for sure.”

“…That’s a relief then.”

Though many things remained unclear, I accepted it for now and crouched down.

As my head cooled, reason slowly returned.

Something was strange.

If it wasn’t bad news, why call me to this hospital specifically?

And why Ji-min, of all people?

Why did I arrange for Aila to be separated today in the first place, with coupons and restaurant reservations?

It was to prepare for a surprise party.

Everyone should know that, so why call me for something that’s supposedly not serious?

“What on earth is going on…”

“Oh, she’s out.”

I stood up.

From the end of the corridor, Aila’s white hair caught my eye first as she walked with two people on either side of her.

There were no external injuries.

She didn’t appear to be hurt anywhere.

Her expression was… what is it?

She looks somewhat dazed?

“Aila!”

“…Huh? Hero? How did you…”

“Are you okay? What happened?”

“W-well…”

Aila hesitated.

As I took a step forward, Aila’s body suddenly moved closer to me.

“Go on, tell him.”

“Unnie! Fighting!!”

The two people had already stepped back.

Behind me was Kim Ji-min, and behind Aila were Lee Se-kyung and Kang Seon-ah.

And in front of me, Aila fidgeted, moving her hands nervously in the air.

“Um… this.”

Aila reached into her pocket.

“Look.”

What she handed me was a picture.

Black and white.

A black background with white lines and a blurry face.

I’ve seen this somewhere before.

“…They say it’s an ultrasound image…”

“Ultrasound…?”

Right, an ultrasound image.

I’ve seen them in dramas.

But why would Aila have…

Wait.

Could it be.

Aila approaches.

With a soft thud, her head rests on my shoulder.

Aila takes my wrist.

I can feel her strength.

Following her movements, I now feel warmth against my palm.

Aila’s belly.

Though I couldn’t see it with my eyes, somehow I knew.

“Can you feel it…?”

It’s warm.

Strangely, comfortingly warm.

“They say… there’s a baby.”

…A baby.

Ultrasound image.

“In here, they say… there’s a baby…”

A baby.

The moment I heard those words, I embraced Aila.

“I’m sorry… It’s happy news, I should be smiling when I say it…”

Aila cried until my shoulder became damp.

Through tears, with a trembling voice, she spoke haltingly.

“Your and my… child… our child…”

“…How many weeks did they say?”

“A month, they said…”

A month ago would be June?

“Hic… waaah…”

I held Aila tightly as she finally broke down crying.

“It’s okay, everything will be fine, Aila.”

“Really? This isn’t a dream, right?”

“Yes.”

“I’m scared… I’m so happy, too happy… I’m afraid it will all disappear when I open my eyes…”

“It’s okay, it won’t disappear. Everything will be fine.”

I tightened my embrace.

As if I would never let go of this happiness.

“Tomorrow will be as happy as today. Just as today was as happy as yesterday.”